Interview: Sir Michael Smurfit, KBE
Interview: Sir Michael Smurfit, KBE The warm autumnal sun glistens softly on the still shores of Monte Carlo harbour. The escarpment of the Maritime Alps looms dramatically overhead. A kingfisher struts elegantly along the marina in search of its prey. It is perfection. How fitting a place then it would seem to interview a man of such magnitude: Sir Michael Smurfit, KBE. Born in St Helens, Lancashire in August 1936, Michael Smurfit joined his father's business, Jefferson Smurfit & Sons Ltd. in Dublin, straight from school. Two years after the company floated on the Irish Stock Exchange, Michael and his brother Jeff became Joint Managing Directors, as Jefferson Senior took on the role of Chairman and Chief Executive. Then followed 30 years of acquisitions, as the Jefferson Smurfit Group became Ireland's first multinational company and the largest packaging company in the world. In 2002, Dr Smurfit took the Smurfit Group private, retiring as CEO but remaining Chairman. In t...